Clinton in Togo

Jan. 17 - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pays a two-hour visit to Togo on the latest leg of her West Africa tour. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.

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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Togo Tuesday, for a two hour visit.
She is the first ever American Secretary of State to visit the West African country.
On her arrival, Clinton is welcomed by the President Faure Gnassingbe.
Togo, a small slither of land in between Benin and Ghana, is enjoying relative political stability and is seeing its economy slowly pick up after years of stagnation.
The country won a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council for 2012-2013, putting it in the hotseat as the United States presses the international community for more action against Iran and Syria.
At the airport she waved to the crowd.
Togo's Prime Minister Gilbert Houngbe bid her farewell later saying her visit was "historic".
(SOUNDBITE)(French) TOGOLESE PRIME MINISTER, GILBERT HOUNGBE, SAYING:
"It's a major event, you know very well that it's an historic event, an important point in the warming of relations between Togo and the United States. The team has also come to encourage us in the reforms that the president started in 2006. It's not wooden language, it's not surprising, this will contribute towards improving the image of our country."
Clinton will wrap up her tour in the tiny Atlantic Ocean state of Cape Verde, which has moved from autocracy to prosperous democracy.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters

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